Vison Sports Ireland
Paralympics #JoinTheJourney
With less than a week to go until the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, Vision Sports Ireland extends our best wishes to the 29 athletes representing Team Ireland as we join their journey, supporting from afar. A total of 539 medals are up for grabs across 22 sports with over 4,000 athletes competing.
The Opening Ceremony will take place at the Olympic Stadium on Tuesday, August 24th with the first Irish Para Athletes competing on the following day. The games will continue until the 5th of September.
Live coverage will be available daily on RTÉ between 10am and 12:30am, and will also be accessible though the RTÉ Player. Further highlights will be showcased on RTÉ2 between 20:00 to 21:30 each evening, rounding up all the daily action from Irish athletes.
Para Athletics Team – Vision Sport Ireland Athletes
Greta Streimikyte will be the first member of the Para Athletics team to compete when she takes to the start line of the 1500m on day 4 of the Paralympic Games. She made her international debut in 2015 and followed it quickly with a European bronze medal in 2016. She was fourth in the T13 1500m final on her Paralympic debut in Rio in what was then a personal best of 4:45.06!
Jason Smyth, the world’s fastest Paralympian holds the World and Paralympic records in T13 100m (10:46) and 200m (21.05), which he set at the London Paralympics in 2012. Returning to Tokyo for his 4th Paralympic Games, Jason won double T13 sprint gold on his Paralympic debut in Beijing 2008, retained them in London and in Rio.
Orla Comerford will compete in the 100 metre heats on Day 7 of the Games, joining her local club Raheny Shamrock when she was just six. Orla made her Paralympic debut at just 18 in Rio where she ran 12.81 seconds in her heat to qualify for the T13 100m final where she finished eighth.
Athletics Schedule (Irish Time)
Saturday, 28th August
Greta Streimikyte – Women’s 1500m: 11:00am
Sunday, 29th August
Jason Smyth – Men’s 100m: 1:30am
Tuesday, 31st August
Orla Comerford – Women’s 100m: 1:30am
Para Swimming Team – Vision Sport Ireland Athletes
Róisín Ní Ríain is the youngest Team Ireland athlete that will compete at the Paralympic Games, from Limerick Swimming Club. She announced her arrival on the world stage with a string of impressive swims at the World Para Swimming Series in Lignano Sabbiadoro in Italy in late 2020 aged 15.
Róisín made her championship debut at the European Championships in Madeira in May 2021 where she won a bronze medal in the S13 backstroke in 1:09:37. She also made five other European finals and was fourth in 100m freestyle (1:02.72) and 100m breaststroke PB 1:22.37 where she was just narrowly beaten for a medal.
Swimming Schedule (Irish Time)
Wednesday, 25th August
Women’s 100m Butterfly – S13 Heats: 1:00am
Thursday, 26th August
Women’s 100m Backstroke – S13 Heats: 1:00am
Friday, 27th August
Women’s 400m Freestyle – S13 Heats: 1:00am
Sunday, 29th August
Women’s 50m Freestyle – S13 Heats: 1:00am
Wednesday, 1st September
Women’s 100m Breaststroke – SB13 Heats: 1:00am
Para Cycling Team – Vision Sport Ireland Athletes
Katie-George Dunlevy and Eve McCrystal (Pilot) are due to compete in the following events, Track – 1km Time Trial, 3km Pursuit. Road – Time Trial and Road Race. To date the pair have achieved Gold in the Time Trial and Silver in the Road Race at the Rio 2016 Paralympics. The pair are an incredible five-time World Champions.
This tandem pairing and reigning Paralympic champions in the Time Trial are Ireland’s most successful para-cyclists ever. The endurance athletes made their debut in 2014 and have since made their mark on the international stage.
Martin Gordon and Eamonn Byrne (Pilot) are due to compete in the following events, Track – 1km Time Trial. Road – Time Trial To date the pair have achieved Silver in the Sprint at the Track World Cup in 2018.
Martin and Eamonn became a tandem pair after the Rio Paralympics and first competed for Ireland in 2017. Their last competition was the 2020 World Track Championships where they were fifth in the Sprint race and 10th in the 1km Time Trial. With no World Championships in 2021 they secured their place in Tokyo by delivering strong Performances during selection trials on an Irish Team Track Camp in March 2021.
Track Cycling Schedule (Irish Time)
Wednesday, 26th August
Men’s B 4000m Individual Pursuit: 2:00am
Thursday, 26th August
Women’s B 1km Time Trial: 2:00am to 3am
Saturday, 28th August
Women’s B 3km Individual Pursuit Qualifying: 2:00am to 2:45am
Men’s B 1km Time Trial: 3:21am to 4:09am
Road Schedule (Irish Time)
Tuesday, 31st August
Men’s B Time Trial: 5:30 am to 8:15am
Women’s B Time Trial: 5:30 am to 8:15am
Friday, 3rd September
Women’s B Road Race: 5:00am to 7:30am